ARENA Patent and Trademark Office

I P N E W S

(flash news on events in the field of Intellectual Property)

2005

April 2005
EPO announces that the new examination procedure named "Extended European Search Report" (i.e. issuing a Search Report together with a preliminary opinion on patentability) will be adopted for all European patent applications filed after June 30, 2005.
March 2005
From March 19, 2005, a new Italian "Code of Industrial Property Rights" entered into force. The new code represents a reorganisation and an updating of previous patent, design and trademark Italian laws.

2004

May 2004
The European Union joins the Protocol of the Madrid Agreement concerning the International Registrations of Marks. Consequently from October 1, 2004, an International Trademark Application can designate the European Union, and a Community TM can be the basis for an International Trademark Application
May 2004
Accession of Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, to the European Union.

2003

August 2003
Accession of USA to the Protocol of the Madrid Agreement concerning the International Registrations of Marks.
April 2003
April 1, 2003, is the filing date of the first Community Design Application.